why are there Muslim sects?

Question

I'm not Muslim, but I'm reading the Qur'an so that I can better understand the Islamic beliefs.

Something very fundamental jumped out at me. It very clearly stated that there should be no sects formed from Islam. It also says very clearly that this Qur'an is the absolute word of God.

As soon as someone deviated from Muhammad's teachings and named their sect, wouldn't that mean that they had turned their back on Muhammad's teachings? Also, since Muhammad taught that social discord was a terrible sin, wouldn't that motivate the different sects to return to the original teachings of the Qur'an and abandon their sectarian philosophies?

I know that these questions will seem very ignorant to most of you so I apologize in advance if I've misunderstood the context and meaning of those passages.

I guess I should have been more clear in my question: I know the *why* in that people will disagree.

Christianity doesn't have a similar passage that specifically forbids forming sects. I just don't know how Muslims can justify "belonging" to a sect when they're expressly forbidden.

Answer 1

By now, it is repetitive to remind Muslims about the tyeachings of Islam against sectarianism. We have already split; and each of us from each respective sect will firmly believe in the veracity of his sect. For eaxmple, I am a Shia Muslim, and I believe with utmost certainty that my sect is the most authentic and that Sunni Islm split from Shia Islam. As a Shia Muslim, I view my sect as the orthodox one and Sunni Islam as the diverging one. Any proper Sunni Muslim would, of course, disagree. It's just the way things are when people from the same religion come from two different sects. Try to have Catholics and Protestants agree on the use of intercessors, for example. Same religion; irreconcilable differences. Most of us Muslims will not deny each other's status as Muslims, but will declare members of the other sect to be living in grave sin. We are, nonetheless, brothers in the one religion and are enjoined by God to treat each other as such.

The history of the divide began most visibly after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Some Muslims wanted to establish Prophet Muhammad's successor by an election of the elders of the early Muslim commmunity. The elders themselves were not elected by the general populace; and some were left out who felt that they should have been a part of the process. They elected Abu Bakr; and the sect that agrees with this process is today the Sunni sect of Islam.

As evidence for their position, Sunni Musims point to certain narrations attributed to Prophet Muhammad in which he is quoted as delegating successorship to Abu Bakr and to other individuals after him. They also have other narrations specifying certain qualities about Abu Bakr and the succeeding Caliphs that distinguish them as deserving leaders.

There was immediate opposition to this election by those who felt that Prophet Muhammad had already deligated his successor in response to the command of God. These believed that Prophet Muhammad had established Ali, his cousin and son-in-law, as his successor. These were almost immediately known as the Shi`at `Ali, or the partisans of `Ali. Today, we are most easily known as Shia Muslims.

As evidence fo their position, Shia Muslims point to an event wherein Prophet Muhammad is quoted to have said, "For those over whom I am the leader, Ali is the leader." We believe that this event occurred several times. There are also other narrations from Prophet Muhammad that indicate 11 other leaders, or Imams, who would succeed after Ali. Some of those narrations named the individuals. We also point out several qualities of Ali that distinguish him as most qualified to lead the early Muslim ummah.

Shia and Sunni Islam are very close in terms of belief and practise. There are some fine points that distinguish us, but the casual observer often cannot tell us apart without further study.

Shia Islam has a set of basic texts that is, for the most part, held in common with Sunni Islam. Part of it is unique from Sunni Islam, and that is how we have a sect.

For the average lay-Muslim, one has to be aware of Islamic beliefs and Islamic practises. Islamic beliefs are derived from the Islamic sciences of Qur'anic interpretation and the narration and interpretation of Prophetic Narrations. Islamic practises are also derived from these two, along with the Islamic sciences of Scholarly Consensus and Analaytical Reasoning/Logic.

There is only one Qur'an. Sunni Islam and Shia Islam each have unique interpretations of parts of it, though. The science of Qur'an' interpretation is a scholarly science: one is not considered capable of delivering an interpretation of the Qur'an until he or she has been trained by a qualified scholar and has been approved to issue interpretations of the Qur'an.

As far as Prophetic Narrations, many of them are common between us. Those that are not define us into two different sects. There are also those that are common to us that have been interpreted differently or have been valued differently between us. As with the Qur'an, narrating and interpreting Prophetic Narrations is an Islamic science that is passed on through qualified intructors and certified through their approval.

Islamic scholarship, in terms of the practise of the laity, is determined by training in the Islamic sciences by a reliable instructor whose chain of training and knowledge is unbroken until the very early days of Islam. One is considered to be a reliable scholar after one has been approved by a reliable instructor or scholarly committee. Scholarly consensus is determined by an examination of the rulings that have been issued by qualified Islamic scholars. Since the sources of Islamic scholarship are different between Shia and Sunni Islam, various rulings will also differ.

There has been a movement of Muslims in recent centuries, but especially within the past few decades, that consider the Islamic sciences to be a resource accessible by the laity for their own use in determining their own beliefs and practises. These are usually considered to be deviants. There is a movement of these away from Sunni Islam and another away from Shia Islam.

Analytical Reasoning or Logic is a thing studied by those in the process of scholarly training and is resorted to when there is no apparent source-text or scholarly precident for an issue. I have no idea whether instructional techniques are different between Shia and Sunni Islam, but I do know that there is a claim of differences in the methods of using this Islamic science.

Answer 2

I will try to answer your question in spite of weak English languages
Although I am not qualified to answer your question but I will try as far as knowing
At the outset I am a Muslim
Do not follow any sect
But called Sunni
Although this word mean I do not belong to any sect mean only followed the Koran and Sunna evidenced by the Prophet Muhammad, peace prayers
People know very well that different sharp differences and not what was there in the communities of all religions throughout the ages
But the main reason for the creation of communities and my view is the vastness of Islam throughout the ages and lack of religious education, which led to Innovating which is basically Finalized by the law of Islam and to follow the Koran and Sunna of the Prophet literally
And also there is exaggeration in venerating the person who Muhammad peace be upon him or his family divine too, which led over the centuries to the transformation of this homage to the canonization is slippage
I tell you what I believe is the word that Islam is the one way in the Koran and the Prophet of Allah Muhammad peace be upon him and the rest was as Innovating
And I pray the Lord of the Worlds that will guide them to the True Path
I apologize again for MY vulnerable and I used to translate program can explain what you want
Thank you

Answer 3

They form sects for the exact same reason that Xians form sects, they believe that this is the only interpretation of their holey book.

All it takes is a bunch of guys to say that this is what is meant by a certain passage and suddenly you have a new flavour of that religion.

The beauty of this is that they then claim to be the only ones that truly follow the word of whomever and all others are heretics.

This then begs the question as to who decides which version of their religion is the right one? I'm reminded of a saying, "a man with one watch always knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure."

Answer 4

There are sects in Islam for the same reason there are denominations in Christianity.

The text relied on for understanding is not at all clear and easily interpreted in many ways. So understanding the will of God from the bible or the Quran is an academic exercise that leads to dispute.

Answer 5

your question is not ignorant at all, and as a Muslim, i wonder that myself...

why break off into another sect? if you don't want to follow the teachings, don't be a part of the religion...

But people will be people, and some people will just do what they want to do regardless of what the book says...

Answer 6

Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Jews were divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and the Christians were divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and my Ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects.” This was narrated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan, Kitaab al-Sunnah, Baab Sharh al-Sunnah.

There are sects because there are stupid people who think they can reinvent the wheel.

Answer 7

the same reason any other faith ha ssects because men can not agree on any thing for very long.

Answer 8

Where ELSE are little Muslims going to come from?